Wireless networks that employ dual service set identifier (SSID) wireless access points are gaining popularity. Such dual SSID wireless access points typically support a public SSID and a private SSID to enable sharing of access to wireless services and/or the Internet. Example wireless networks are based upon the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards (a.k.a. WiFi).
In some examples, service providers can increase their revenue by increasing the utilization of deployed access points to as many users as possible. For example, by enabling a public SSID on wireless access points owned and/or operated by the service provider that previously provided private SSID access to the service provider's subscribers, the service provider can gain additional revenue as a result of providing public access to its wireless access points. Moreover, by entering into agreements with other service providers and/or access point owners who mutually agree to enable a public SSID, a service provider can increase the number of access points by which its private subscribers can access wireless and/or Internet services. For example, a service provider may enter into an agreement with one or more owners and/or operators of one or more public locations to gain access to their access point(s), thereby extending the geographic region serviced by the service provider. However, in many instances, the bandwidth available to couple a dual SSID access point to the Internet and/or the service provider's network is limited. As such, the enablement of a public SSID by a service provider has the potential to interfere with the use of an access point by a private subscriber of the service provider.